Abstract:
I was invited to participate in the 2010 International Fashion Art Biennale in Seoul by the Korea Fashion and Culture Association. Coinciding with the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War, the hosting of the 2010 G-20 Summit, Seoul's designation as the 2010 World Design Capital and other cultural programs, the Biennale took 'War and Peace' as its theme. Through the medium of fashion art the broad aim was to channel the scarring experience of war and to provide a platform for sharing, co-existence and peace. The exhibition was held at the Hangaram Design Museum, Seoul Arts Centre. 104 Korean and International artists participated. Inspired by military body armour and practices of body scarification, the work created for this exhibition, 'Pauldron', explored the three dimensional qualities of knitting in relation to the body. A combination of techniques (tucking and short row knitting) and a variety of materials were used. Formed on a mannequin, the intention was to challenge perceptions of how contemporary knitting could be applied uniquely to the body. The work took the form of a knitted 'body piece' which both cocooned and distorted areas of the body. As a designer who works in both fashion and textiles my research interests are in demonstrating the alternative ways in which knitting can be represented on the human body and the diversity of new techniques that can be created. The work explores how unconventional techniques can be used to create new body constructions that move away from and challenge conventional garment shapes.
